Compound for insulating electric wires



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIOE ROBERT S. FERGUSON, OF \VAUKEGAN, ANDWVILLIAM SOHUMAOHER AND \VILLIAM TUBMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COMPOUND FOR lNSULATiNG ELEOTRlC WlRES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,921, dated June30,1885.

App ication filed February 27, 1955.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ROBERT S. FERGUSON, of XVaukegaIni n the county ofLake and State of 11linois,and \VILLIAM SOHUMAOHER and WIL- 5 LIAMTUBMAN, both of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, and allcitizens of the United States, have invented a certain new and usefulCompound for Insulating Electric WVires, of which the following isspecifica- IO tion.

The object of this invention is to produce a compound containing pinepitch, which shall normally be maintained flexible when cold to a degreeeffectually preventing said compound I 5 from cracking, which compoundshall also nor- Inally contain sutlicient moisture to absorb and carryoff induction between two or more wires laid in it, but separated fromeach other.

Our compound consists of pine-pitch, three 20 hundred (300) pounds; hardor soft rubber,

one and one-half (1%) pound; and liquid asbestns, one (1) gallon, towhich is added beeswax, or tallow, or linseed-oil until of the properconsistence to render the compound (when cool) 2 quite hard and yetflexible. To combine these ingredients, they are placed in a suitablevessel, and heated in any desired manner under agitation sufficient tothoroughly mix them.

The essential materials of our compound are 0 pine-pitch and beeswax, ortallow, or linseedoil, or any similar substances, and in suchproportions as will render the pine-pitch (when cool) flexible to adegree suftieient for preventing the pitch from cracking when subject to5 strainssuch, for example, as the bending of (N0 specimens) a coatedwire, or as occur atthe joints of seetional underground conduits andwhich will carry Off but not promote induction.

In practice any grease, fats, or oils are perhaps preferable to beeswax;but the latter may be used to a very good advantage.

Electric wires simply coated and not embedded in this compound, as theywill be when used in underground systems, may, as has been practicallydemonstrated, be laid in water or on the ground, or both, and yetsuccessfully operate, although only covered by a very thin coat, appliedby passing the wire through the compound while in aheated or liquidcondition.

\Vhat we claim, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

1. The hereiu-described compound for insulating electric wires, the sameconsisting of a base composed of pine-pitch. and beeswax, or tallow, orlinsecdoil, or other materials holding moisture in suspension andrendering the pitch flexible when cool.

2. The herein-described compound for insu- 6:) lating electric wires,the same consisting of pine-pitch, rubber, and asbestus, mixed withbeeswax, ortallow, or linseed oil in the manner and proportionsspecified.

ROBERT S. FERGUSON. XVILL'IAM SGHUMAGHER. XVM. TUBMAN. Witnesses:

XV. W. ELLIOTT, JNO. G. ELLIOTT.

also contain or absorb moisture sufficient to 1

